"Christ . . . literally transforms my daily existence. He sweeps me up out of the earthly into the heavenly into Him. It's a beautiful thing!" -- Julie Sangermano

The power of the realized kingdom of God has been available to all people since the death, resurrection, ascension, and return of Christ through the Holy Spirit to His people. Jesus has come, and He will come again and again to enable all to experience the power and the glory of His kingdom that knows no end.

The Kingdom of God

More than 700 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah was able to look into the future and prophesy, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains . . ." (2:2). A younger contemporary of Isaiah, Micah, prophesied about the same event: "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established . . ." (4:1). The phrases, "in the last days" and "the mountain of the house of the Lord" have always sparked the quest to understand the establishment of the "mountain of the house of the Lord" and exactly when it would occur.

Several years after Isaiah and Micah, Daniel, revealing the dream of the king of Bablyon, again spoke of "a great mountain [that would fill] the whole earth" (2:35). In the interpretation, the "mountain" is revealed to be the coming kingdom of God "which shall never be destroyed" and "stand for ever." The interpretation, also, revealed when it would be established. God would destroy the kingdoms of men and establish His own kingdom by sending His Son into their world. Daniel told the king:

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. (Dan. 2:31-35)

After revealing that the head of fine gold represented the king of Bablyon, Daniel proceeded to reveal how the kingdoms of men would degenerate from brilliance to drabness, from strength to weakness. The golden age of man declined through silver, brass, iron, and finally to a mixture of iron and clay until it would be broken and scattered by the wind. And in the aftermath, "shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed . . . and it shall stand for ever" (2:44). Daniel's interpretation of the coming kingdom of God set the standard for Israel's prophets in the following centuries. They also prophesied of the coming Messiah (the anointed One) to establish His reign of peace, joy, and righteousness in the kingdom of God. For Daniel and all the succeeding prophets, the establishment of God's kingdom would be the consummation of the ages.

The expectation of the long awaited Messiah who would come to destroy evil and establish a kingdom of righteousness began in the days of Abraham, patriarch of the Jewish nation. Long before the people of Israel began to conceive of themselves as a nation, God spoke to their father Abram:

Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:1-3).

God promised a great nation would come to Abraham and his descendants. The nation would be blessed by God. He would not only bless the descendants of Abraham, but he promised to bless the people that would honor and revere the nation that God would establish. He also promised to curse the people who would curse this nation. This promise of God to Abraham forever produced in his descendants the expectations of a coming kingdom of God that would be blessed and protected by God Himself.

The descendants of Abraham have never been confused by the fact that God had promised a coming kingdom of peace, prosperity, and justice. The wrongs of evil would be punished and the righteousness of the good would be rewarded. This expectation and hope has grounded the people of God for centuries.

The confusion occurs as to when this promised kingdom would be experienced in all of its glory. The descendants of Abraham, during the time of David, knew without question that they were experiencing the realized kingdom, the fulfillment of the promise of God to their father Abraham. Their hopes and dreams of experiencing the glory of the kingdom that would never end was shattered, however, when the kingdom of Israel under David began to deteriorate.

The Northern ten tribes of Israel were eventually defeated and deported by a foreign power. They would never be heard from again. When the holy city and the holy Temple were destroyed in the south, the destruction of the glory of the kingdom of David was completed.

During Israel's captivity that followed the fall of the southern kingdom, the prophets held to their belief and with visionary zeal proclaimed that the promise of God was still true. There would be a kingdom of God that would not be destroyed. It would stand forever. This latter house of the Messiah, which will have no end, would be greater than the former house of David, which came to an end. Many of the descendants of Abraham are still waiting in expectation for the establishment of that kingdom.

After the advent of Jesus with its renewed emphasis on the kingdom of God, the Christian church eventually, around the year of 500 A. D, came to believe that the physical presence of the organized church was the promised kingdom of God. The material and temporal kingdom of Roman Catholicism became the fulfillment of the expectation of that kingdom. With its desire to spread peace and justice, the visible church spread throughout the world with the hope of bringing the righteousness of God to the world.

Many in Catholicism still believe that they are the physical manifestation of the kingdom of God promised to their father of faith, Abraham. But, many within the Roman church have also had their dreams and hopes shattered. They have accepted that the visible church has fallen far short of the promised kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness. Many participants today in Roman Catholicism are again waiting in expectation for the fulfillment of the realized kingdom of God.

After the Reformation primarily led by Luther and Calvin, the emphasis of the visible church in Protestantism turned to the experiencing of God in the individual's life. The birth of modern day denominationalism gave rise to a diversity of ways to explain how believers were to experience their salvation in this life. With their time being taken by defending and promulgating correct doctrinal beliefs, the various factions in Christendom lost sight of the realized kingdom of God. The importance of experiencing the kingdom of God and the preaching of Jesus to come and establish that kingdom was gradually replaced with a focus upon a heaven and a hell in the next life.

It was not until the beginning of the 20th Century that a renewed interest in the physical kingdom of God being established on earth came to the forefront of man's thinking. With the rise of conservative Biblical scholarship, a rekindled emphasis on the last days became prominent. This modern revival of the last days began when a group of Christians around the turn of the century began to interpret a biblical concept of history. It was suggested that the entire history of man would eventually come to its consummation with the end of the present world and the beginning of a new world. They would later become known as premillenialists, because their emphasis was upon the return of Jesus to rapture the church into heaven before the literal 1,000 years physical reign of Jesus on earth. This "second" coming of Christ for the raptured church would be established as the "realized" kingdom of God in all of its glory. Most conservative and fundamental Christians today are waiting for Jesus to come and establish this physical kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness upon the earth.

Since the topic of the kingdom of God is once again so prevalent in the preaching of many today, perhaps a fresh look back to the earliest writings of Christianity would be beneficial. In that record, it can be seen that the main topic of the preaching of Jesus was the kingdom of God. The earliest written history of the church begins and ends with statements concerning the kingdom of God. It can be justifiably set forth from those records that the kingdom of God experienced by the disciples of Jesus was the basis for the radical change in their lives.

The first recorded words of Jesus when He began His ministry were: "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). Matthew recorded, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" and "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom . . ." (4:17,23).

At this point, a brief explanation of the phrases "kingdom of heaven" and "kingdom of God" would be advantageous. Both phrases are referring to the same entity. When the phrase "kingdom of heaven" is used, it has reference to the domain of the kingdom. It is of the heavenly realm as opposed to the earthly realm. When the phrase "kingdom of God" is used, it refers to whom the kingdom belongs. It is the kingdom of God as opposed to the kingdom of men.

The preaching of this domain and realm of God was so powerful by Jesus that the people who heard Him speak desired that He would remain with them. The response of Jesus to their request was, ". . . I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent" (Luke 4:43). Luke would add, "And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God" (8:1). Jesus stated that "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all of the world for a witness unto all nations . . ." (Matt. 24:14). The preaching of the kingdom of God was so prevalent by Jesus that there are fifty-eight references to the kingdom in the gospel of Matthew alone.

The longest recorded message contained in the Scriptures is where the principles of the kingdom of God were given by Jesus. This Sermon on the Mount is a powerful discourse on how the kingdom of God would now be experienced. The kingdom of God would be so revolutionary to the kingdom of men that Jesus taught his disciples to pray continually, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:9-10).

The last recorded words of Jesus just before He ascended, as recorded in Acts, consisted of ". . . speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (1:3). The Acts also recorded that Philip preached ". . . things concerning the kingdom of God . . ." (8:12) and Paul "spake boldly . . . disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God" (19:8). Finally, the Acts closed its record: "And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him" (28:30-31).

During the preaching of Jesus, He spoke so much on the kingdom of God that finally the Pharisees demanded, ". . . when the kingdom of God should come" (Luke 17:20). The response of Jesus to their demand is perhaps the most precise teaching on experiencing the kingdom of God contained in the Scriptures. It is a powerful discourse on the mysteries of the domain and the reign of God in the lives of believers.

The first and most difficult aspect of the mysteries of the kingdom is given to the Pharisees when they asked when the kingdom of God should come. Jesus simply stated, "the kingdom of God cometh not with observation" (17:20). The kingdom of God would not be seen. Perhaps, they were thinking that the kingdom of God would be as the kingdoms of men--physical, earthly, and experienced with the senses. Jesus stated, however, it would not be seen by the natural eye.

In addition, to the Pharisees, He said, "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold the kingdom of God is within you" (17:21). With the emphasis being "among" you (plural) as opposed to being within an individual, Jesus is again revealing an enigmatic feature of the kingdom of God. How do physical people with natural senses experience the spiritual domain of a supernatural existence? How do flesh and blood people experience the kingdom of God, when Paul stated that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 15:50)?

When an individual enters into a relationship with another person (be it superficial or intimate), a third entity is formed between the two flesh and blood people. It is within this incorporeal existence of the connection between the two that the kingdom of God is experienced. Thus, Jesus stated that this kingdom of God is among you, or in the midst of you.

The second great mystery of the kingdom of God and perhaps as equally difficult for the rational mind to grasp is illustrated in Jesus' next statement concerning the kingdom of God. After addressing the Pharisees, He stated to His disciples, "The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it" (17:22). First, it should be pointed out that days is plural in both the "days will come" and the "days of the Son of man." There will not only be many times in the life of an individual that he will desperately desire for Jesus to break through into his life but there will also be numerous times when Jesus will come to bring salvation for the desperate soul. The early followers of Jesus never saw the second coming of Jesus as a single day in the future when He would return but that He would come whenever the need for Him to come was apparent.

The coming of Jesus into the lives of people would only occur after certain things had transpired. Thus, many would desire to see Jesus break through immediately in a special way in difficult times, but will not be able to see it even though they desire it. Or, as Paul would later say, Jesus does not come until the man of sin has been revealed (2 Thess. 2:1-4).

All dependency upon anything earthly must come to an end before an individual can experience the heavenly. As Daniel would also say, the kingdoms of men must come down before the kingdom of God can come forth in its full glory (Dan. 2:35). This is also the reason why Paul would state, "we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer" (2 Thess. 1:3-5). The bloom of a flower cannot occur until the planting of the seed.

When the struggles of life come, most men, if not all men, are susceptible to turn to anyone or anything for immediate help. What often looks like a quick, successful answer to afflictions and sufferings is usually more detrimental than beneficial. Thus, Jesus would state that in these times many "shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them" (Luke 17:23). You do not have to go to any physical place or to any physical person (which usually offers only physical cures) to find your help in the time of trouble. Jesus, in His day (His coming to you), will be apparent to all. He will make Himself known in your life with the ultimate cure just as surely as the streak of lightning lights up the entire night (17:24). You will know that Christ has come to bring deliverance.

Jesus revealed how an individual experienced the kingdom of God. He not only revealed that great truth in these words but also by the experiences of His own life. Just as every created entity must be planted to enable the essence of life to come forth in the harvest, Jesus Himself, being in the form and likeness of a man, also had to "suffer many things, and be rejected of [his] generation" (17:25). He, too, had to be planted in order to experience the harvest. Every essence of physical dependency for life must come to an end before the vitality of spiritual life can break forth.

Jesus illustrated His teaching concerning the manifestation of the kingdom of God with His examples of Noah and Lot. He simply stated that before God could establish the new world with the saving of Noah and his family, all of the old world had to be destroyed (17:26,27). Likewise, the same day that Lot was delivered out of Sodom, all of the city was destroyed (17:28,29). The examples may seem to be severe or catastrophic, but Jesus is emphasizing that to experience the glory of the kingdom of God, the manifestation of Jesus, the old world order must come to a complete end. Jesus is manifested in the life of an individual only when one comes to the end of himself (17:30).

The coming of the spiritual kingdom of God at the ending of the old world order always occurs in earth-shaking moments of life. Although the natural tendency for everyone is to hold on to the past (after all, it is the only foundation on which we stand regardless of how shaky it might be), Jesus admonishes that the new way must be fully accepted with haste. Or, as He stated, "In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back" (17:31). In another message concerning the events of these moments, Jesus simply stated that the believer must flee immediately (Matt. 24:16). The believer must turn completely from his old ways and embrace the new manifestation of the coming kingdom of God.

In His final admonition, Jesus revealed how difficult this turning from the old to the new can be. When the circumstances of life bring an individual to the threshold of the coming kingdom of God, the individual often longs to hold on to the old world order (17:32). As Lot and his family were being delivered out of Sodom (a salt producing economy), they were told not to look back to the old way of living. Since Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back, she probably was having great difficulty in giving up that which had produced their livelihood in Sodom. One thing is certain, all people become exactly that thing to which they turn for life. Jesus would add, "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it" (17:33).

Jesus then illustrated that because of this longing to hold on to the past and the failure to understand the ways of life, many would miss the opportunity to experience the glory of the manifestation of the kingdom of God in their lives. He said that where there were two men in the same bed, two women grinding at the same mill, and two men in the same field "one shall be taken and the other left"(17:34-36). With the word taken literally meaning, "to receive near" and the word left literally meaning, "to send forth," these apocalyptical moments would produce in some the nearness and presence of Christ while others would continue in their ever descending paths away from God. Each moment of the pressures of life, more pointedly each major crisis of life, presents the opportunity to experience the heavenly realm (to experience the nearness of Christ). It also may mean the emotional fires of hell can be encountered (to experience distress, despair, a sense of being forsaken, and a sense of being destroyed).

The challenge of these defining moments of life is simple. Can the believer trust Christ? Can the believer rest in the understanding that God is in control of these challenging moments? Or, will the believer be persuaded away from the gospel of the kingdom by the many enticing words of false "prophets"? In these troubling times, when God is actually bringing down our dependency upon the physical realm to rebirth in us a new, fresh spiritual reality, there will be many that will prey upon those who are currently suffering the birth pains of new life. Or, as Jesus stated, "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together" (17:37).
The dying of the physical domain will always bring out those who attempt to be "the Christ," the anointed One, who can bring relief to the suffering saints. They offer quick, superficial remedies that look enticing, but are empty promises. While appealing to the physical flesh of man, they diminish the opportunity for spiritual renewal. Jesus simply said, "go not [after them]" and "believe [them] not" (Matt. 24:22-26).

The good news of the gospel of the kingdom of God is that every time a seed is planted, it brings forth a harvest. The glory of the manifestation of the kingdom of God can be experienced by every believer. The power of the realized kingdom of God has been available to all people since the death, resurrection, ascension, and return of Christ through the Holy Spirit to His people. Jesus simply said, when He began His earthly ministry, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Then, He said, while addressing a large crowd of people, "Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power." (Mark 9:1). Jesus has come, and He will come again and again to enable all to experience the power and the glory of His kingdom that knows no end.

Learn More about the kingdom of God at: www.wayofchrist.org

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A New Bible Study: Fundamental Truths of Christian Living -- Learning the
Secrets of the Good Life

What did Paul mean when he said, “What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?” What did he mean when he answered, “Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?”

What did Paul mean when he talked about the coming of Christ?

Do you know what “the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together...to meet the Lord...” meant to the early followers of Jesus?

Can you really be ‘what it means’ to be Christian on a desert island?

Do you know that you can experience paradise now?

What is our soul and how is it actually saved?

Do you know the highest pleasure known to man?

How does the free will of man fit into the sovereignty of God?

Do you know what is the fundamental principle or the foundational fact of all life?

Can you experience the bloom of the flower without the planting of the seed?

Discover the answers to these challenging questions in "Fundamental Truths of Christian Living."

http://www.wayofchrist.org/fundamental-truths-of-christian-living.asp